While You Were Sleeping
by swancharmings
Summary: Or, it's Donna Paulsen's bed and Harvey's just trying to sleep in it.


**Note:** _This idea wouldn't leave me. Hope you enjoy! :)_

Donna was a horrible sleeper.

To call her a fidgeter would be an understatement. She tossed, she turned, she kicked, she elbowed, she threw her arms over him and once her hand even covered his face like a suction-cup tentacle.

At first, Harvey found it utterly adorable. One more thing to love about her. She would spread out like starfish in the middle of the bed one minute, and the next would cling to him like a barnacle.

That is, until she kneed him in the groin and nearly pushed him off the bed.

Like tonight, for example. She was sprawled out, head on his chest, hand dangerously close to his face and legs tangled with his. But they weren't in the middle of the bed, oh no, they were completely on his side, and he was pretty sure half his body was hanging off the mattress.

Harvey loved to cuddle; cuddling with Donna was one of the more peaceful moments in his life, and he never wanted that to go away. But when she went to sleep... she became this giant tangle of limbs that squeezed and poked and prodded of their own accord and he really, _really_ needed to sleep.

She stretched away abruptly, and he was about to thank Christ and hopefully get some rest — until she kicked her legs out, and he toppled over the side of the bed.

Okay. That's it. He had to do something.

—

"Good morning," Donna greeted him the next morning, fresh from the shower, a soft smile gracing her face. She looked radiant as ever, and _completely well-rested_, Harvey noted with a sour expression.

"Morning," he grumbled as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "How'd you sleep?"

She placed a kiss on his shoulder blade. "Wonderful."

"That's great," Harvey muttered weakly. He turned around in her arms and wrapped her in a hug, lest she question the exhaustion written all over his face. He really, really did not want to turn this into a _Thing_. He loved sleeping next to Donna and wouldn't trade it for anything. He would have to tread lightly to fix this.

But he also knew that he couldn't sleep on the couch forever. For one thing, Donna was...well, _Donna_, and she was bound to notice sooner or later, even if she was dead to the world at night.

And for another, he wasn't getting any younger, and his back wanted to murder him.

—

"Harvey? Jesus, you sound terrible."

"Always nice to hear from you, Mike," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, is everything okay? How's Donna?"

"Oh, Donna is _fantastic_," Harvey said sarcastically.

"Okay, what the hell happened?"

"Nothing happened, it's... Donna's _great_, because she's getting the best sleep of her life while I'm over here trying not to be smothered," he snapped, instantly regretting how derogatory he sounded. It wasn't her fault, and he loved her, God knows he did, but the woman was a bed hog.

"Ohhhhhh," Mike said, and Harvey could hear him trying not to laugh on the other end of the line.

"Yeah," Harvey grimaced, "and I don't know how I'm supposed to even have that conversation without sounding like an asshole."

"Just tell her the truth."

"Yeah, because, 'hey Donna, I can't sleep next to you at night, can you please keep to yourself' is going to go over so well."

"Please don't say it like that."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to say?"

"Maybe," Mike paused, "try some home remedies first."

"Meaning?" Harvey sighed.

"I mean, see if you can do anything to...lessen her stress."

"...I'm not having this conversation."

"No, we're not touching THAT with a ten-foot pole — I mean like, maybe a massage before bed? Run her a bath? Essential oils? That sort of thing."

"Huh. I guess," Harvey ran his hand down his face again in frustration. "I just don't get it. I mean, she doesn't _seem_ stressed. Or maybe she is, I don't know. No, I know Donna, and she's not giving me any signs that she's stressed."

"Maybe it's her subconscious, and she's taking it out on you at night as her only outlet," Mike joked.

Harvey scowled. "That's not funny."

"Yeah, it is."

"Are you going to help me or make fun of me?"

"I have to pick one?"

"Goodbye, Mike."

"No, wait —! Seriously. Okay. Umm. Get her a body pillow. That way, it becomes a built-in barrier in case she decides to turn into the Kraken."

Suddenly Harvey saw Donna turn the corner. "Shit, Mike, I gotta go. Don't —"

"Mention anything to Rachel? Yeah, yeah, but if she asks I'm not going to —"

Harvey ended the call just as Donna caught his eye through the doorway.

"Hey," she said, smiling softly.

"Hey, yourself."

Donna frowned, giving him that no-bullshit look he loved and knew so well. "Harvey, are you okay?"

He shrugged it off. "Yeah, what do you mean?"

"You look exhausted."

He paused. "Just… a lot on my mind, that's all. This case, it's…"

She nodded. "I know. Maybe we should go to bed early tonight."

_Yeah, that won't help, Donna, but thanks for trying._ "Maybe," he said, giving her a strained smile.

Donna stepped towards him and traced his arm. "Harvey, you know I'm here if you need anything, okay?"

He swallowed and dropped her gaze. "I know, Donna. Really, I'm okay."

Besides, he had a plan. He wouldn't have to tell her if it was never an issue again.

—

Step one: massage.

He made sure he played his cards just right, made sure not to talk about work or anything remotely related to the law whatsoever; nothing that could cause unnecessary stress.

He poured them each a glass of wine that night, and they sat in front of the fire, lazily and slowly making love, and now she laid beneath him as he kneaded her back and neck gently, placing kisses along each area once he finished.

"Mmmmmm," she sighed, and he breathed out a laugh.

When he finished, he smoothed his hands over the expanse of her back. "How do you feel?" he asked her.

She turned over slowly and grinned. "I feel like a new woman."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Relaxed?"

She nodded. "Mmmhmm." She kissed him in return and turned to nuzzle into the spot where his neck met his shoulder. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."

_Jackpot._

His lips met the crown of her head. "Night, Donna."

"Night," she sighed, curling closer.

Harvey held his breath, waiting.

Her long, slow exhalations not even ten minutes later were his victory song. He grinned, resisted the urge to punch the air, and settled under her for what he hoped would be a full night's sleep.

Until, low and behold, he was abruptly awoken to a sharp jab in his ribs.

Blinking sleep from his eyes, he fumbled on the nightstand for the clock. The digital numbers read 02:32. He threw it back down with more force than Isaac Newton intended, which woke Donna from her seemingly pleasant slumber.

"Harvey?" she croaked, confusion evident on her face.

"Hey, go back to sleep," he whispered, his hand reaching out to stroke her hair. He just had to keep her relaxed. As far as he was concerned, this was a fluke.

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Harvey said, perhaps too quickly, and he could see the wheels turning in Donna's head. Moving fast, he reached for her again, but this time he ended up hitting her square in the nose. _Fuck._

"Jesus!" she hissed, clutching her face. "Harvey, what the hell?!"

"Sorry!" he shouted, hands moving to her shoulders. "Here, turn around, let me give you another massage."

Donna wasn't buying it. She pushed up onto her elbows and reached for the light, turning to face him with arms crossed. "Okay, Harvey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Donna, for God's sake! I just want to help you destress!"

"What?" she asked, looking dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I... are you stressed?"

"Well, I'm stressed _now_!"

"This wasn't how this was supposed to go," he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair.

Donna raised her eyebrows. "And how was this supposed to go?"

"I —" Harvey sighed, hanging his head in defeat. After a moment, he looked up at her, and only saw genuine concern on her face. She really was too good for him.

"Please, don't get mad."

"Harvey, what is it?"

"You're impossible to sleep with," he blurted out.

Donna stared at him, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "What did you say?"

"That came out wrong. Shit. Donna, wait, before you say anything — I love you. So much. And I want nothing more than to be close to you. But..."

"Harvey, if you're breaking up with me, you're doing a really shitty job."

"God, Donna, will you just—"

"Harvey," she grabbed his hand, looking at him in earnest. "Please, just tell me what's going on."

He rubbed his thumb back and forth over her palm and took a deep breath. "You hog the bed."

Donna's eyebrows knit together. "I hog the bed."

"Yeah. You do. And you kick me. And I fell off the bed yesterday. And twice before that."

She blinked. "Oh."

He smiled, eyes crinkling. "Yeah. Oh."

"Every night?" she questioned.

"You're either all over me to the point where I can't breathe or pushing me to the farthest corner of the bed."

Donna picked at an imaginary thread on the sheets. "So that's why you look like you've been through the ringer."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I didn't… I didn't know how."

Donna sighed, deflated. "Harvey..."

"No, hey, don't," he said, squeezing her hands. "I don't want this to come between us."

"Yeah, well, it has," she mumbled, still not meeting his gaze.

Harvey sighed. "I didn't exactly handle it the best way. I'm sorry, Donna. I'm… I'm glad you're comfortable with me."

The last soft admission was enough to bring Donna's eyes back up to his. "Yeah, well," she smirked, "you do make a pretty nice pillow."

He laughed, and she sobered. "I'm sorry, Harvey, I had no idea I was this bad. No one ever told me."

It made Harvey's heart swell to know this was a part of Donna that was reserved for him and him alone. He filed that away for later.

Donna's gaze turned quizzical. "Was this a problem...before?"

The other time. Harvey laid back down and pulled Donna down with him, settling back into their earlier position.

"No, but...I didn't stick around long enough to find out." He swallowed. "But I'm glad I do now."

She kissed him soundly. "Even if I cost you sleep?"

He traced her jawline with his fingertips. "It's worth it."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Seriously, what are we going to do?"

"Mike had some ideas."

"Oh, great, so Mike knows?"

"Hey, he's the one who called you the Kraken."

"Oh, he's so gonna get it. Wait until he hears from me."

Harvey chuckled and pulled her closer. "We'll figure it out," he said. "For now, it helps to know I can push you off of me without being worried you'll take offense."

She sat up to look at him. "I'll still take offense. If you wake me up like that, you might have to do something to make it worth my while."

Harvey grinned. "Oh, really?"

Donna's smile grew. "So, mind-blowing sex wasn't on Mike's list of magical cures?"

"Oh, it was, but I told him to shut the hell up and mind his goddamn business," he growled before crushing his lips to hers.

"I think we have a winner," Donna whispered against his mouth.

—

_One week later_

Harvey woke to the heel of Donna's foot digging into his ribs. He sighed but smiled nonetheless as he scooped underneath her and rolled her back into a human position.

"Donna," he whispered, placing soft kisses on her forehead, her nose, her lips.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Good?" she asked, voice hoarse from sleep.

Harvey nodded. "Good."

"Love you," she sighed.

He scooted closer to her, resting his forehead against hers. "Love you, too."

They would work through this. Partners by day and partners by night.


End file.
